Converted church in the Cove gets second life: Woodbury Cafe has a lot of saving graces
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WOODBURY -- They say the perfect meal is like a religious experience, and it's not hard to imagine that at the former Trinity Lutheran Church on Main Street here.
Enter the doors and sign the guestbook resting on the pulpit. Then take a seat, perhaps in one of the pews, and enjoy a gastronomical event in the Woodbury Cafe that has become a favorite stop for more than locals.
One of its redeeming qualities -- if not the most visible -- is the steeple. Slightly damaged by high winds recently, it captures the attention of regular travelers on Route 36 through this Northern Bedford County borough.
But it's the made-to-order omelets, cheeseburgers and other American comfort foods that keep these souls coming back.
"We were driving by, saw the steeple and had to stop," said Karen Mobile of Washington, D.C., who recently was having a late breakfast with her parents, Dorothy and Charley Goetz of Pittsburgh. "Now it's a part of our routine."
Every few months, the daughter meets her parents at the family cabin on the Juniata River in the woods near Everett, and they stop here for breakfast on their way to shop in Altoona.
"The coffee is excellent, and I'm not usually a coffee drinker," said Dorothy Goetz. A fully stocked, self-serve coffee bar sits like a back-pew Baptist in the rear of the former sanctuary. Or select a specialty coffee, such as mocha, iced or latte.
Goetz and Mobile also come for the omelets, as do locals Judy Hook of Yellow Creek and Terri Marlowe of Loysburg.
"I love the place," said Hook. "It's friendly, and the food is good. I really like the omelets."
"Especially the made-to-order ones," said Marlowe.
Except for the Sabbath, breakfast is served daily from 7 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The breakfast menu includes $7.25 platters of eggs, toast, meat and potatoes, or opt for a platter of pancakes, French toast or waffles -- with a meat choice -- for 70 cents more. Sides or simple breads also are available.
The lunch menu includes a number of options for sandwiches, paninis, quesadillas, kids' meals and hot-off-the grill selections.
"Our cheeseburger is really popular, because it's a half-pound of locally raised beef," said Kristi Oberman, who co-owns the cafe with her husband, Dan. "We get our beef locally three times a week, so it's really fresh. Our cheesesteaks are real popular, too."
Another popular item is the soup and salad combo; or just get the grilled chicken, steak or chef salad. They make their own soups here, including the most popular, chicken pierogi soup, which has brought the owners several awards in area soup competitions.
The cafe also rotates specials, such as a hot beef sandwich for $8.
The lunch menu extends to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays when dinner specials also are offered: fish on Friday and wings on Saturday that come in six homemade flavors, including the favorite, garlic Parmesan.
"People beg me to open in the evenings during the week, but it's too hard with the kids little right now, and Dan and I feel like one of us should be here," said Kristi of their two boys, ages 4 and 18 months.
The couple are lifelong residents of the area and high-school sweethearts dating to their days at Northern Bedford County High School. Married for nine years, Kristi was struggling finding a permanent teaching job in the area despite having two bachelor's degrees in education.
Meanwhile, thanks to consolidation, the 1880s church building went vacant for seven years.
"It was just sitting here empty, falling apart," Kristi said. "I liked it, and I wanted to preserve it."
They kept a couple of the pews, the pulpit and the piano. They renovated it and added a back wall to separate the kitchen from the dining room and installed a counter.
"We had to keep the steeple," Kristi said. "It was damaged in high winds not too long ago, but it will be repaired."
She said owning a restaurant wasn't necessarily her dream growing up; it just worked out.
"We both like to cook, but Dan is a better cook than I am," she said. "He taught me how to cook."
He kept his day job in Hollidaysburg, but you can find him in the restaurant on Saturdays.
Both love to bake, as well, Kristi said as she brought a tray of homemade lemon bars out from the kitchen.
"We're constantly baking," gobs, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter
meltaway cake, she said.
And, with the warm weather comes homemade ice cream, with flavors
fluctuating daily, from blueberry to mint chocolate chip to chocolate peanut butter and more.
Comfort food that is divine.
Mirror Staff Writer Cherie Hicks is at 949-7030.
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Behind the Plates
Woodbury Cafe
134 Main St., Woodbury
(814) 766-0044
Online: www.Facebook.com/Woodbury-Cafe-474396782641932/
Atmosphere: Casual
Hours: Breakfast 7 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday; lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Breakfast sandwiches start at $4.99; omelets and breakfast platters start at $7.25; paninis, quesadillas and hamburgers start at $8.95; salad entrees start at $9.25.
Rotating specials: Fish on Friday, wings on Saturday.
Note: Call for takeout orders; rental venue on Sundays.